LaBotz: Obama Not Ending War
In the words of Public Enemy, “Don't believe the hype.” Dan LaBotz, the socialist candidate for U.S. senator on Ohio's fall ballot, is criticizing the Obama administration's claims that the combat mission in Iraq is over. LaBotz, who opposes both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, says President Obama is using a shell game to…
Music: MidPoint Indie Summer Featuring Brian Olive
Summer might be winding down, but the MidPoint Summer Series is still bringing hot indie rock bands to Fountain Square each Friday. This week, 20th Century Tokyo Princess kicks it off at 7 p.m., followed by J. Dorsey Blues Revival and Oxford Cotton. Brian Olive and friends (pictured) headline at 10 p.m. Read Brian Baker's…
Music: T.V. Mike and The Scarecrowes
Indiana is probably a good place to grow up if you are going to make Country music (amber waves of grain and all that). And moving to California, a musical wonderland, to help push along a burgeoning career probably isn’t a bad idea either. T.V. Mike and the Scarecrowes did just that. They now reside…
Los Lobos, The Magic Numbers, The Budos Band, 3 Leg Torso and Gasoline Silver
Well, kids, it was a great vacation. Two weeks of doing relatively nothing, other than fairly prodigious alcohol consumption (for me, anyway; I still have a 12-pack in the basement fridge from last Christmas) and sitting by the lake in quiet contemplation of the beauty of northern Michigan. Other high points of the trip: Reading…
Art: Touch at Kennedy Heights Arts Center
Reversing the usual order of things, Kennedy Heights Arts Center encourages visitors to get the feel of Brenda Tarbell’s ceramics in the exhibition Touch, on view through Sept. 25. “There’s a Braille to my sculpture,” she says. “It is meant to be explored tactilely. It is meant to be touched.” Other works in the show,…
Events: Mason Heritage Festival
It will be a great day in Comet Country, indeed, because taking place in downtown Mason this Saturday is the Mason Heritage Festival. Beginning in 1965 as a celebration of the 150th anniversary of Mason’s founding, this festival has since become the much anticipated and perfect way to end the summer. Don’t worry staying entertained,…
John Caulfield [Knotty Pine on the Bayou]
John Caulfield, the owner and chef at Knotty Pine on the Bayou (1802 Licking Pike, Cold Spring, 859-781-2200), has been serving up Cajun-influenced classics for 16 years. John and his wife have just come back from New Orleans where their son will begin his freshman year at Tulane. After a visit to such a dining…
Driven Out
When they first arrived on the morning of July 2, the staff at the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati (IHN) knew something was wrong. No water was coming from any of the taps and a gushing sound could be heard in the basement. "There was a waterfall happening in the basement because someone had…
Music: Hank to Thank with Dallas Moore and Jody Payne
The downtown space that once housed Herzog Studios — the facilities used to record legendary songs by the likes of Flatt and Scruggs, The Delmore Brothers and, most famously, Hank Williams (among many others) — is going into flashback mode Monday when it is once again used as a recording studio. The Cincinnati USA Music…
Something in the Flair
Sometimes deciding where to go have a couple of drinks can be a tough decision. There are so many bars to choose from in downtown Cincinnati alone. Do you go to your regular, familiar bar or try a new place for something different? Some bartenders know people struggle with this decision. And because they want…
Events: Taste of Blue Ash
Imagine what “blue ash” would taste like … yuck. Luckily no one will be forcing anything in your mouth at this year’s festival, which instead features a weekend of wonderful local food and Classic Rock. Performances begin Friday with the Atlanta Rhythm Section (7 p.m.) and the Little River Band (9 p.m.), continue Saturday with…
The Last Exorcism (Review)
When The Blair Witch Project became an out-of-nowhere phenomenon more than a decade ago, one of the most startling developments was how few attempts there were to rip it off. While the “fake-umentary” format had been successful for comedies like This Is Spinal Tap and the like, few other filmmakers seemed to recognize — like…
Al-Amir Café (Review)
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been a bit of a wet blanket when it comes to Mediterranean food. I get the gyro every time, no exceptions. But I’m going to lunch at Al-Amir Café (326 E. Eighth St., Downtown; 513-721-9299) for my first food-writing assignment, so I figure it is time to…
Music: Jeff Daniels
An elephant will be in the room Thursday when Jeff Daniels, the singer, songwriter and guitarist, performs at the Southgate House. That elephant is the simultaneous presence of Jeff Daniels, the acclaimed actor in such movies as Terms of Endearment, The Squid and the Whale, The Purple Rose of Cairo and Dumb & Dumber. Daniels,…
Music: Hoots and Hellmouth
Life is complicated and sometimes it’s helpful to take a step back and slow down. In those times, turn to Hoots and Hellmouth, an Americana/Folk foursome from Philadelphia consisting of Sean Hoots, Andrew Gray, Robert Berliner and John Branigan. These foot-stompin’ fellas take two guitars, an upright bass, a mandolin and some spectacular vocal harmonies…
Art: Lost and Found: The Art of Collage
It’s that time of year when art schools are entering their fall terms, and I can only hope that crisp autumnal weather is to follow. Kicking off Northern Kentucky University’s season of exhibitions is Lost and Found: The Art of Collage, curated by NKU alumnus Randel Plowman. An artist in his own right, Plowman is…
Comedy: Bobcat Goldthwait
When we last spoke to Bobcat Goldthwait, the stand-up comic turned film director had what he described as a far-fetched notion to make a film based on The Kinks album School Boys in Disgrace. It might not be that far-fetched after all. “It’s coming along,” Goldthwait says. “If things keep moving the way they are,…
Events: Big Band & Bigger Beer
Live music and beer are a perfect combination, and the second annual “Big Band & Bigger Beer” event at Ault Park caters specifically to that match made in heaven. Dutch’s presents a night of beer tasting and live music from The Jump 'n' Jive Show Band at 7 p.m. Enjoy unlimited samples from independent brewers…
Music: Mad Anthony
A new release is among a young band’s best benchmarks, and Post Punk provocateurs Mad Anthony are in a celebratory mood with the imminent release of their excellent debut full-length on Phratry Records, I Spent All My Money on Speed Metal. But even as Mad Anthony prepares to reveal Speed Metal at this Saturday’s release…
Music: The Kyle Sowashes
Columbus’ The Kyle Sowashes play a brand of tight and catchy Guitar Pop that sounds all too familiar, but is easily likeable, nonetheless. The band — drummer Dan Bandman (that’s really his last name), guitarist Justin Hemminger, bassist Lonn Schubert and the band’s namesake/lyricist/lead singer/guitarist Kyle Sowash — has a laid-back style that’s cool but…
CEAs and Acclaims to Combine Forces
Sunday evening’s 14th annual Cincinnati Entertainment Awards (CEAs) for theater, held at Know Theatre, will also be the final CEA theater presentation. The program, begun in 1997, will combine forces for the coming theater season with the Acclaim Awards, established in 2004 and supported by The Cincinnati Enquirer. Organizers of both programs have made this…
Sports: Black-n-Bluegrass Doubleheader
You have one more chance to get in on roller derby action this summer, as the Black-N-Bluegrass Rollergirls host their last home bout of the season Saturday in Florence. Come check out bodacious babes like Rumble Strumpet and Dot Coma cruise and bruise their way to victory. Whether you're a superfan or a roller virgin,…
Big River (Review)
Critic's Pick The 2010-11 theater season has barely started, but it’s off to a rollicking start with a lively, inventive and polished production of Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn at Covington’s Carnegie Center. That’s no small achievement: The Carnegie’s Otto M. Budig Theatre is a lovingly restored venue, but it’s not an easy…
Onstage: Cincinnati Entertainment Awards for Theater
So you attended theater for a whole season in 2009-2010, and now you’d like to see how your judgments stack up against others. You can do that at Know Theatre on Sunday evening when CityBeat presents the 14th annual Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. There will be lots of opinions reflected: There are 18 categories voted on…
Warhol’s Pete Rose Portrait Turns 25
It was 25 years ago, before his reputation and legacy were so terribly damaged by the revelations that he bet on baseball, that Pete Rose was reaching a career peak. As the Reds’ player-manager, he was closing in on Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record. Rose broke it on Sept. 11, 1985, with his 4,192nd hit.…
Events: RIVER_DMF
Time is quickly running out for anyone interested in attending the second-annual RIVER_DMF, Cincinnati creative collective PROJECMILL’s riverboat dance party. Last year’s version included a live set and music video premiere by The Seedy Seeds, free cake and a top-deck dance party. CityBeat columnist Danny Cross attended last year to film a documentary of the event,…
Who Taught ‘Em?
When Aubrey Berg goes to Broadway, he has a hard time forgetting his day job. That’s actually a point of pride for the professor and department head at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). It’s more the rule than the exception that shows have a grad or two from Berg’s musical theater training…
Events: Cincinnati Brew Ha-Ha!
“The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter,” Mark Twain once said. If he knew what was going on at Sawyer Point this weekend, I think he would have tacked on a little something about Cincinnati creating world peace with all the laughter it will experience. The reason is this:…
Art: Chase Public Creative Space
Northside’s newest art and performance space opens with the works of local artist Tim Parsley and a so-called “non-lecture” by Cincinnati poet Robert Murphy. Parsley’s work explores scenes from everyday life from atypical reference points and is exhibited from 6-8 p.m. At 8 p.m., Murphy presents “What Are You Doing in My Clothes?: Lifelong Confessions…
Bieber Threesome, Kings of ‘Glee’on, Aerosmith
[HOT] Awkward Threesome For you faithful Facebook heads who refuse to believe Twitter is what’s up right now, you’re wrong. Tweeting lets you do status updates, post pictures … and maybe even plan musical collaborations with everyone’s favorite hair-flipping cutie pie. That one random kid Kanye West was following on Twitter has been replaced ……
Brunner Defends Bilingual Ballots
Amid increasing right-wing bellowing about illegal immigrants, Ohio's top elections official is defending the practice of providing bilingual ballots. Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has released a video, “Bilingual Ballots: A Human Perspective,” that interviews people of Puerto Rican descent in Cuyahoga County.—- Under threat of a lawsuit, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections…
Jeff Daniels
An elephant will be in the room Thursday when Jeff Daniels, the singer, songwriter and guitarist, performs at the Southgate House. That elephant is the simultaneous presence of Jeff Daniels, the acclaimed actor in such movies as Terms of Endearment, The Squid and the Whale, The Purple Rose of Cairo and Dumb & Dumber. Daniels,…
Mad Anthony (Profile)
A new release is among a young band’s best benchmarks, and Post Punk provocateurs Mad Anthony are in a celebratory mood with the imminent release of their excellent debut full-length on Phratry Records, I Spent All My Money on Speed Metal. But even as Mad Anthony prepares to reveal Speed Metal at this Saturday’s release…
Mad Anthony
A new release is among a young band’s best benchmarks, and Post Punk provocateurs Mad Anthony are in a celebratory mood with the imminent release of their excellent debut full-length on Phratry Records, I Spent All My Money on Speed Metal. But even as Mad Anthony prepares to reveal Speed Metal at this Saturday’s release…
Hoots and Hellmouth
Life is complicated and sometimes it’s helpful to take a step back and slow down. In those times, turn to Hoots and Hellmouth, an Americana/Folk foursome from Philadelphia consisting of Sean Hoots, Andrew Gray, Robert Berliner and John Branigan. These foot-stompin’ fellas take two guitars, an upright bass, a mandolin and some spectacular vocal harmonies…
The Kyle Sowashes with Chuck Cleaver & Lisa Walker
Columbus’ The Kyle Sowashes play a brand of tight and catchy Guitar Pop that sounds all too familiar, but is easily likeable, nonetheless. The band — drummer Dan Bandman (that’s really his last name), guitarist Justin Hemminger, bassist Lonn Schubert and the band’s namesake/lyricist/lead singer/guitarist Kyle Sowash — has a laid-back style that’s cool but…
T.V. Mike and The Scarecrowes
Indiana is probably a good place to grow up if you are going to make Country music (amber waves of grain and all that). And moving to California, a musical wonderland, to help push along a burgeoning career probably isn’t a bad idea either. T.V. Mike and the Scarecrowes did just that. They now reside…
Jeff Daniels: Strum & Strummer
An elephant will be in the room Thursday when Jeff Daniels, the singer, songwriter and guitarist, performs at the Southgate House. That elephant is the simultaneous presence of Jeff Daniels, the acclaimed actor in such movies as Terms of Endearment, The Squid and the Whale, The Purple Rose of Cairo and Dumb & Dumber. Daniels,…
Lottery Ticket (Review)
Bow Wow top-lines this urban comedy about a savvy project kid who must survive a weekend with everybody and their mother chasing him for a piece of his $350 million lottery ticket. Kevin (Bow Wow) rolls through his hood with his best friend Benny (Brandon T. Jackson), a big-time dreamer and small-time hustler and his…
Vampires Suck (Review)
Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, the team that brought us the Scary Movie sequels, Epic Movie and Disaster Movie, return with a pointless take on vampire movies thanks to the runaway success of the Twilight series and HBO’s True Blood. Vampires Suck sinks its flat, broad chompers into the first two books of Stephanie Meyer's…
25: The Season (at Ensemble Theatre)
OK, I’m a little behind the curve in sharing the word about Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati’s 25th season, which was actually announced about a week ago. It was a tad anticlimactic, since Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers had announced some of this information back in early June. Nevertheless, with the opening of the 2010-2011…
Nanny McPhee Returns (Review)
A vast improvement over the 2005 franchise introduction of co-writer/actress Emma Thompson's Mary-Poppinsish household savior, Nanny McPhee Returns finds modern-day meaning in its World War II-era English trappings. Gone is the garish fluorescent neon color palate and mean-spirited themes that attended the poorly contrived initial installment. Where Nanny McPhee was based on the first of…
Leaders Look at Columbus Model
Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls will lead a contingent of elected officials and community leaders on a road trip to Columbus on Monday to look at some apartment complexes built for homeless people there. The group will tour two complexes built by National Church Residences (NCR) that provide permanent, supportive housing to formerly homeless individuals.—-…
Stage Door: Rollin’ on the River
If you remember Roger Miller, your recollection is probably of mindless but jaunty Country tunes like "King of the Road," "Dang Me" or "Chug-a-Lug." But he had a moment — actually more like a year or two, I suppose — when he turned his attention to musical theater and wrote songs for a show called…
Friday Movie Roundup: The Balcony Is Closed
The final episode of At the Movies aired last weekend, marking the end of an era that began more than 30 years ago. Featuring a pair of geeky Chicago-based film critics — Roger Ebert from The Sun-Times and The Tribune's Gene Siskel — the long-running show debuted as Sneak Previews in 1975 before switching to…
Crossfire Gets Grant
A local violence intervention program has received a $45,500 grant to continue its work. Out of the Crossfire (OOTC) recently received the grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. One of only nine hospital-based programs in the nation, OOTC offers case management and rehabilitation services to more than 1,200 victims of violent injuries at the University…
Music: MidPoint at ATP Semifinals
If you’re headed out to the Lindner Family Tennis Center near Kings Island in Mason for the big Western & Southern Financial Group Masters men’s semifinals Saturday evening and you are a fan/supporter of local music, be sure to arrive early and stay late. The tournament has teamed with the MidPoint Music Festival to bring…
August 11-17: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY AUG. 11 There are things about Miami University that would surprise most people — from the school's No. 77-ranked undergraduate program to the amount of times Ben Roethlisberger actually paid for his 3 a.m. Jimmy John's when he went to school there. But for every surprisingly interesting fact about MU, there are observations like…
Get Low (Review)
Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) is that old coot that every rural community used to have; the hermit who endured ritual harassment from the children of the region and sometimes gave them a scare or two that they never forgot. Those spooky encounters gave rise to myths and legends containing a kernel of truth, at best,…
Brian Trotta and the Drop Inn Center
[LOSER] BRIAN TROTTA: It doesn't take a degree in biology to know leaving any living creature — including infants or animals — in a vehicle for an extended period during a heatwave is a stupid, dangerous idea. With temperatures in the 90s and extreme humidity that makes it seem much hotter, even sitting in a…
Tila Tequila, Lennon and Queen
[HOT] The Gathering (Shit) Storm There are two entities Minimum Gauge will never make fun of — Scientologists (because they would sue us) and Juggalos, the followers of Rap duo Insane Clown Posse (because they would stab us in the face). “Reality” “star” and “singer” Tila Tequila might want to find a new booking agent…
A Year After Incident, Still No Decision on Discipline
It took seven months to investigate, and now it’s taking almost as long for Cincinnati’s police chief to make up his mind. An internal investigation into whether Lt. Col. Michael Cureton, an assistant police chief, improperly offered police services in exchange for free tickets to a Jamie Foxx concert in summer 2009 finally was completed…
Shrader-Weaver State Preserve Hike
Key At-A-Glance Information Length: 2 milesConfiguration: Modified figure 8Difficulty: ModerateScenery: Olk-growth forests, succession, welandsExposure: Mostly shadedTraffic: Generally very light except during springTrail Surface: DirtHiking Time: 1-1.5 hoursSeason: Year-round, but best in spring, fall, and winterAccess: Dawn to duskMaps: USGS Connersville; trail-marker guides available at trailside sign-in stations.Facilities: NoneFor More Information: Indiana Department of Natural Resources,…
The Return of The Greenhornes
After an extended hiatus, Cincinnati Garage Rock trio The Greenhornes will be back with a new album in October. And this Friday the band plays a free show at The Comet in Northside, kicking off a string of tour/festival dates. The Greenhornes were on a steady climb since their mid-’90s formation. By the early-’00s, the…
The Allison I Knew
Weeks after this chance encounter, I’m still shaken by it. Sometimes memories of people from my past don’t need to be updated with their current reality. On Race Street downtown some weeks ago, I was standing at an ATM taking $40 out of my checking account. I heard a voice I vaguely recognized. “Is that…
